Book Review: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn book 1)

Mistborn trilogy is written by Brandon Sanderson, a very well known author in the genre of fantasy fictions. This trilogy is very original, featuring a very unique magic system, and a story set in an interesting world. I found out about this trilogy from Goodreads. I was drawn to read this trilogy after I read some good reviews about it. Last week, I finally started reading the first book to this trilogy, titled The Final Empire. Today, I would like to review this book.

Synopsis:

For centuries, Lord Ruler reigned supreme in the Final Empire. None can match his power. Legends say he is god-like, a mighty Allomancer whose power is as unending as the reservoir of immortality. Under Lord Ruler's regime, the society in the Final Empire was divided under the class system, separating people into nobility and skaa. While nobility generally enjoyed their lives full luxuries, the skaas were treated as slaves, living in poverty, robbed of their freedom and dignity. This is a bleak world where ashes fall from the sky, and the mist clouds the night.

A spark of hope glittered in the darkness, when a troublemaker named Kelsier, and his young apprentice, Vin, put together a crew, plotting a coup against the Final Empire. If they succeed, the centuries old oppression and inequality in the empire will cease. However, toppling an empire is no small feat. They must first deal with the powerful Lord Ruler, and his dangerous minions.

What I think about this book:

Overall, I like The Final Empire. It is a very unique fantasy novel. The storyline reminds me of Ocean's Eleven. The "magic" system in this book, is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the story. It is called Allomancy. Basically, in the world of Mistborn, some people have the inborn ability to “burn metals” by ingesting it. “Burning metals” allowed them to perform superhuman feats, such as strength, agility, constitution, pull/push metals, or even influence people's minds. Practitioners of Allomancy, are called Allomancers (obviously). In this book, the author did an excellent job at explaining how Allomancy works, and it fits very well into the background of the story, and its world-building. The characters are well depicted and portrayed. The protagonists in this book, are likable, 3 dimensional characters, with complex motivations and unique background stories.

From what I understand, Mistborn trilogy is meant to be epic fantasy for mature readers. However, when I was reading this book, I felt as if I was reading one of those dystopian YA novels such as Hunger Game or Divergent. In my opinion, the tones, themes, and the story elements in this book seem to be targeting at young adults. It does not feel like it's targeting mature readers. This is not to say I did not like this book, although dystopian YA novels are not my cup of tea, yet I found this book quite enjoyable. It has many innovative, and original concepts not found in most fantasy novels. The characters are likable, the story is well knitted together (though I found the romance subplot in this book is a bit cheesy). Overall, I like The Final Empire, and I am planning to read the second book in this trilogy, titled “The Well of Ascension”.